Google Maps just fucking SUCKS now

[kj3400]

Oh. Well we all have our peeves.

[Zeffy]

Sorry for the bump, but I reverted back to classic Google Maps just now. I don't know what Google did, but even on Internet Explorer, which ironically was the best out of my three browsers for using Google Maps, it was just running too slow for me to handle. It would often take about 10 seconds for it to actually load in the first place, then street view was choppy, the images were sometimes not rendering at all, the map movement was so erratic that it angered me trying to scroll across the United States and had to suffer periods of smooth transitions turning into periods of delayed loading.

First time back on classic Google Maps and it runs literally 20 times faster. I have had no delays at all on the old version. I don't know why I didn't switch back earlier.

[US 41]

Now that I've finally gotten used to the new google maps, I actually like it better than the old Google Maps. The best thing about it that it is a lot easier to move around in streetview since you can click on blue on the map in the bottom left corner.

[1995hoo]

Funny thing for me is I had it set to the old interface because the new one was too slow, but for some reason it recently switched back to the new style (I assume I probably clicked a link somewhere on this forum) and I'm finding the new one seems to be a lot faster now than it was before. I haven't been motivated to change it again yet. I'm running Waterfox, a 64-bit version of Firefox.

[US 41]

Funny thing for me is I had it set to the old interface because the new one was too slow, but for some reason it recently switched back to the new style (I assume I probably clicked a link somewhere on this forum) and I'm finding the new one seems to be a lot faster now than it was before. I haven't been motivated to change it again yet. I'm running Waterfox, a 64-bit version of Firefox.

Same here. They must've fixed whatever was causing it to run so slow.

[connroadgeek]

I hate it. Everything is hard to find. These tech companies keep making it harder and harder to use their "features" because they hide them under ambiguous icons or try to be smart about selectively showing what is available. How about just having simple textual buttons that just say "turn on traffic" "turn on terrain", etc. instead of hiding it and making it contextual where it is not obvious that something is not available or just not available at this zoom level for example. The best interface designs are the ones that are consistent and obvious. Google's is neither of these things.

[silverback1065]

I hate it. Everything is hard to find. These tech companies keep making it harder and harder to use their "features" because they hide them under ambiguous icons or try to be smart about selectively showing what is available. How about just having simple textual buttons that just say "turn on traffic" "turn on terrain", etc. instead of hiding it and making it contextual where it is not obvious that something is not available or just not available at this zoom level for example. The best interface designs are the ones that are consistent and obvious. Google's is neither of these things.

I agree, there was nothing wrong with the old Maps.  It's like they think: if it ain't broke fix it until it is.

[US 41]

At least they have an option that lets you go back to the old Google Maps.

[freebrickproductions]

I hate it with how when you try to click on a certain place to go into street view, it thinks you're clicking 56456345 miles down the road.

[US 41]

I hate it with how when you try to click on a certain place to go into street view, it thinks you're clicking 56456345 miles down the road.

I've actually had this same problem. I don't know what causes it.

[freebrickproductions]

I hate it with how when you try to click on a certain place to go into street view, it thinks you're clicking 56456345 miles down the road.

I've actually had this same problem. I don't know what causes it.

I think sometimes it's caused by Google thinking that you're trying to street view the nearest building along the road. I don't know what causes it the other times though.

[vdeane]

I hate it with how when you try to click on a certain place to go into street view, it thinks you're clicking 56456345 miles down the road.

I've actually had this same problem. I don't know what causes it.

I think sometimes it's caused by Google thinking that you're trying to street view the nearest building along the road. I don't know what causes it the other times though.

Yeah, most street view "bugs" we find are probably the result of roadgeeks NOT being the target audience.

[adventurernumber1]

I hate it with how when you try to click on a certain place to go into street view, it thinks you're clicking 56456345 miles down the road.

I've actually had this same problem. I don't know what causes it.

I think sometimes it's caused by Google thinking that you're trying to street view the nearest building along the road. I don't know what causes it the other times though.

Yeah, most street view "bugs" we find are probably the result of roadgeeks NOT being the target audience.

Yep. This has happened a million times. In fact, now that I think deeply about it, I can not remember ONE time since the new Google Maps (not one) that I tried to get on Interstate X, and it didn't put me on a frontage road or nearby neighborhood road. I guess I've gotten so used to the annoying thing I always just automatically go to the mini-map and find my way back to the interstate or freeway 

[silverback1065]

Google Map Maker is a complete steaming pile of shit, filled with errors, runs slow, and the default response every time is "We're sorry but your edit was declined because our information is better"  It's so bad now you can't make a single edit without an error that prevents any changes at all, you report it to their coders and they do nothing but say "I'm sorry for the late response, but we will look into it" they then precede to do nothing. 

[Pete from Boston]

I hate it. Everything is hard to find. These tech companies keep making it harder and harder to use their "features" because they hide them under ambiguous icons or try to be smart about selectively showing what is available. How about just having simple textual buttons that just say "turn on traffic" "turn on terrain", etc. instead of hiding it and making it contextual where it is not obvious that something is not available or just not available at this zoom level for example. The best interface designs are the ones that are consistent and obvious. Google's is neither of these things.

I agree, there was nothing wrong with the old Maps.  It's like they think: if it ain't broke fix it until it is.

It's Google.  Their whole M.O. is continual replacement with whole new versions of things.  This is to be understood when choosing to use their products.  If you want very little change over many years, perhaps Apple can come out with a map site.

[hotdogPi]

Google Map Maker is a complete steaming pile of shit, filled with errors, runs slow, and the default response every time is "We're sorry but your edit was declined because our information is better"  It's so bad now you can't make a single edit without an error that prevents any changes at all, you report it to their coders and they do nothing but say "I'm sorry for the late response, but we will look into it" they then precede to do nothing.

I have turned CT 6 into US 6 successfully.

[silverback1065]

Google Map Maker is a complete steaming pile of shit, filled with errors, runs slow, and the default response every time is "We're sorry but your edit was declined because our information is better"  It's so bad now you can't make a single edit without an error that prevents any changes at all, you report it to their coders and they do nothing but say "I'm sorry for the late response, but we will look into it" they then precede to do nothing.

I have turned CT 6 into US 6 successfully.

I've had no luck i keep getting these bizzare errors like "this road has an address but no name" and "failed geodata" etc

[MillTheRoadgeek]

One thing I've noticed when highlighting things on Street View is that most of the time, it's basically invisible (gray) for the roads with available SV, but it's also yellow sometimes (not the roads, but the covered lines).

[wxfree]

I use the new version occasionally, particularly for old Street View imagery.  I don't have problems with it, but I don't use it enough to know if I really like it. The deal-killer for me is that it puts each individual map and Street View image in the browser history with a unique URL.  I don't want my history filled with a billion different Google Maps views.  For this reason, I use the new version only in a different browser.  I think there's some privacy mode that will keep my primary browser from recording history, but it's annoying to use and I wouldn't want to forget to turn it on or off.  For most use, I go to a bookmark for the old version.

[DaBigE]

So I bit the bullet and have slowly transitioned over to the new Google Maps. I've gotten sick of my browser forgetting my preference and having to go through the motions of going back to the classic maps. It appears to be a bit faster than I remember. I still don't like not being able to turn off road names, but I did discover one new feature I do like: It will automatically display weather warnings for the area you're in. I do wish I could permanently close the damned photo tour. I find the included measurement tool to be nicer than the Google Labs add-on for the classic maps.

[roadman65]

I noticed now that sometimes you go to street view and the image goes black.

Plus I had the experience of the map moving, but not the image on the satellite view.  In other words the route and street outline would move as you grabbed the image, but the whole base underneath it stayed put.

[vdeane]

I think there's some privacy mode that will keep my primary browser from recording history, but it's annoying to use and I wouldn't want to forget to turn it on or off.

Let me guess: Safari?

IE, Firefox (current versions), and Chrome all implement private browsing as a separate session in a different window that runs alongside the regular session.  Safari, on the other hand, is just a checkbox in a menu, and didn't even include an indication that the session was private until 2012.  Opera runs private tabs in the same window as other tabs.

[wxfree]

I think there's some privacy mode that will keep my primary browser from recording history, but it's annoying to use and I wouldn't want to forget to turn it on or off.

Let me guess: Safari?

IE, Firefox (current versions), and Chrome all implement private browsing as a separate session in a different window that runs alongside the regular session.  Safari, on the other hand, is just a checkbox in a menu, and didn't even include an indication that the session was private until 2012.  Opera runs private tabs in the same window as other tabs.

I use Firefox.  I'd never used a private session window or known how it works until just now.  I use new Google Maps in Chrome, which I can't stand as a primary browser because the address bar doesn't give a drop-down list, which is my usual means of navigation.  The private window is actually pretty easy to use.  There's a right-click option to open links in a private window, which is something I'll probably use for the links here so I can move the maps around without big blocks of history entries.  Thanks for getting me to look at that.  A lot of new features I just reject offhand because I hadn't known enough to want them before.

[NE2]

I use the new version occasionally, particularly for old Street View imagery.

Sweet - didn't realize they had that. Preserved for posterity:


...and holy crap, if I click that link I see the old imagery in the old interface. There doesn't seem to be any other way to reach it, however.

[freebrickproductions]

What I hate the most about the new Google Maps is that you can't make the satellite view the default view like you could on the old version.